Real World Timeline

This is a timeline using modern years. For a middle earth timeline, see Timeline of Arda

1892 — John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is born on January 3rd, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

1916 — J.R.R. Tolkien marries Edith Bratt on March 22nd. In June, he is assigned to the Lancaster Fusiliers and sent to France.

1917 — Edith Tolkien gives birth to John.

1918 — First draft of "The Fall of Gondolin" is completed.

1920 — Edith Tolkien gives birth to Michael

1921 — J.R.R. Tolkien begins teaching at the University of Leeds.

1924 — Edith Tolkien gives birth to Christopher. J.R.R. accepts a position as Professor of English Language at Leeds.

1925 — July - J.R.R. Tolkien is elected to the Rawlinson and Bosworth Chair of Anglo-Saxon in the University of Oxford. He is admitted to a non-stipendiary professorial fellowship at Pembroke College in October 1926. His edition (with E.V. Gordon) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is published.

1967 — Publication of both The Road Goes Ever On and Smith of Wotton Major.

1968 — BBC radio broadcasts an eight-part (4-hour) adaptation of The Hobbit. Tolkien originally sold the film, stage and merchandise rights of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to United Artists but nothing came of it. The Tolkien family moves to Poole near Bournesmouth.

1976 — The rights to Lord of the Rings were sold to Tolkien Enterprises, a division of the Saul Zaentz Company.

1977 — The Silmarillion is published posthumously, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay is credited with assisting Christopher. Rankin-Bass studios produced the first real film adaptation of any of Tolkien's works with an animated television version of The Hobbit.

1978 — Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings is released by United Artists.

1979 — A Tolkien Bestiary is published.

1980 — Unfinished Tales, a collection of essays about Middle-earth edited by Christopher Tolkien, is published. Animated television version of The Return of the King airs.